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BOSTON -- Harry Sinden went looking for Pat Quinn at the rink yesterday morning, no doubt to offer sympathy for the fine Quinn was handed by the National Hockey League for his comments on the direction of the game.

"I guess I'll be fined, too," the Boston Bruins president said in a half-joking manner, noting that NHL personnel were allowed to speak more freely during the lockout.

"I think we need a system of checks and balances in regard to what's happening on the ice."

COMPLAINTS

Sinden had made much the same complaints as Quinn during the penalty parade early in the exhibition season.

"They all talk about (improving) flow, these new guys on the owners' board of directors," Sinden had said. "I asked them, 'do you know what you're taking about? What do you mean when you say flow?'

"I said, 'can you think of anything that disturbs the flow of a game more than a two-minute penalty?' "

But Sinden is not in the day-to-day spotlight as the Maple Leafs coach. Quinn often has used the platform to snipe at the league for what he feels are inconsistent obstruction calls, which he feels have led to too wide open a style.

"I don't love the new game," Quinn said during the Sunday afternoon rant that cost him a few thousand dollars. "I don't think it's hockey. It's special teams situations and we've got gimmicks (shootouts) to decide games."

Earlier yesterday, Quinn naturally was reluctant to discuss specifics of the league's actions. He has been hit in the wallet a couple of times during his career for what the NHL has deemed inappropriate remarks.

"There's nothing I can do about it, it's dead," Quinn said. "I offered an opinion and it didn't meet with others. It wasn't necessarily meant to be a criticism at all. There's lots about the game I love."

Reminded that Sinden and others have made similar comments, Quinn said "you'll have to ask (the league). I just don't know what the message is, quite frankly."

He was asked if he did not have the stature to at least sound off in the debate, given five decades in the NHL as player, coach, general manager, team president, Olympic gold medal coach and Hockey Hall of Fame committee member.